


Life Beyond the Tragedy

by abrasivepersonalitytendersoul



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-30 02:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6406033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abrasivepersonalitytendersoul/pseuds/abrasivepersonalitytendersoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Two of Rainy Heartache</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Beyond the Tragedy

Things were rough in the weeks immediately following your death. Caring for a newborn, prosecuting abnormally tough cases, and gathering evidence against the person who killed you takes a lot of time and energy. 

 

Rafael hadn't had time to find a babysitter yet. He blamed it on but having time, but he was afraid to leave your daughter for more than a few minutes. What was once a large office for working long nights on tough cases, quickly became half office and half nursery. His typically intimidating demeanor was now less intimidating with a baby strapped to his chest. Even Rita Calhoun was acting more civil towards him with little Abigail in tow. 

 

Thankfully the judges were compassionate towards Rafael's situation. Besides Lady Justice, you had been his whole world. He had been afraid to speak to you for the first six months after you met. Now he cursed himself for wasting that time with you. If he could clear his head long enough, he at least had your spitting image to love forever.

 

Abigail Maria Barba. She has your eyes and mouth with Rafael's nose and cheeks. He was never going to let her go. She is a peaceful baby- content with just being near her daddy. She gets fussy in the evenings until she gets her bottle. He knew you would have enjoyed watching him bounce her around while studying case files, prepare her bottle, and speaking Spanish while gently kissing her little bald head. 

 

The SVU detectives were all over her too. Fin was wrapped around her finger. If Rafael was wheeling and dealing with a perp, Fin had that baby at his desk, silencing every cry. Sonny always had diapers and onsies in his desk. He knew better than to be unprepared for a baby. Olivia kept a play pen in her office and Amanda would bring her daughter's clothes that she was outgrowing for Abigail. Rafael was a snazzy dresser, but he was a wreck when it came to dressing a baby girl.

 

Nights are always lonely. Abigail would be asleep, and he would spend some time by himself in the living room. It usually consisted of him watching the photo slideshow from your funeral while he worked on building the case against the bastard who did this to you. To him. To Abigail.

 

He would lay awake in bed for hours. It was times like these where he became grateful for coffee and also how well whiskey could blend into it. He would look to where you should be sleeping and grab your pillow. He would hold it close to him and weep until he was asleep or Abigail would wake up, whichever one came first. 

  
Six in the morning would always come too quickly. It was time to get up and do it all over again.


End file.
